Biography of the man:
Hat, cloak and long white-bearded in between. It was simple to recognize Donnino Rumi among the crowd (even if none could say he ever have seen him mingle with crowd). And it was simple recognize one of his paintings among thousand (even if none could ever seen one in any collective art exhibitions that Bergamo, so rich of artists, loves to offer us).
Perhaps for the first time is possible to review by his works the whole history of Donnino Rumi as painter in this book dedicated to him three years after his death.
For lot of people which remember his name just for his being joined with a lot of sport or industry events, it could be a surprise.
Industry saw Donnino Rumi as leading character in father's farm since his youth, when the calling of art arise strongly too.
Immediatly after the Second World War other adventures bring the name "Rumi" around the world with the motorbike that was idol of many sportsmen because of its many records done.
Just remind one for all. It was 1954 (when "made in Italy" still was trudging among the misfortunes of the war devastations) : four <> bikes landed in UK to take part to the "International Six Days". Four bikes started, four arrived, four gold medals and it was the first team among all the industry of all continents. There was a paint of Donnino Rumi of that years too, because the struggle within himself take place for long time. Until the 1962, when the old farm closed.
From there, Donnino Rumi was only a painter. And explose his almost obsessing looking for color, as the images available in this collection can document. And still don't forget the valueble results of his sculptoring and drawing.
An artistic biography of Rumi (a different perspective):
Donnino Rumi born in Bergamo in the 1906 and in this town take place all his history of man and artist.
It is necessary to go back to the foundry possesed by his father to find Donnino Rumi, just twelve, apprentice, tireless worker, full of curiosity and yet deeply attracted by any form of artistic expression.
He frequent the carver workshop of a family friend called Ghislandi, who will the first in notice the boy's attitudes and who will spur, some time later, him to studies at the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo.
But Rumi has a particular nature; he is shy and restless, often intolerant, he has much talent but he doesn't love school discipline: so he will not finish his studies, preferring to start lonely his road to the art.
His former works, and yet noteworthy, are of the 20's. Not twenteen yet, he found himself in the constriction of manage in first place the foundry; to paint or sculping (he is sculptor too) only free-time remain, and this is always decreasing because of the stressing industrial activity.
Around the 40's, infact, dependent workmen of father's foundry increase from the original ten to almost a thousand. If you add the marriage appened in '32 and the born of three children you can have the whole painting of his life at that time.
During the World War german armies install within the industry a commissioner. Rumi abscond, fight as partisan and he is closed in S. Agata Prison in Bergamo. He's never refused his art, anyway, and he produce,when and how he can, some works in those dramatic moments too.
After the war he has to roll up his sleeves, 'cause the within the industry, quite all destroyed, he has to interely restructure the production. From propeller and periscopes producted before the war he pass to dough and sweets machines, cameras but above all motorbikes and knitting machines. For fifteen years industry absorbs completly Rumi, letting him rarely dedicate himself to his Art , his true interest.
They are years in which he was often struggled by crisis and doubs, but the industrial Rumi seemed have taken precedence over Rumi the artist. Only in '62 comes the winding-up of the foundry. From that point on he can completely immerse himself in the artistical activity.
Because of his coy nature, of his extreme sincerity in reactions and in comments, he's often misunderstanded in his real essence, and a certain form of reserve is confused with haughtiness.
As a matter of fact Rumi is critical towards himself in an unbelieveble way, he create and destroy his works which never satisfy him, refusing collections and contact with the critics, refusing dialog with other artists too (even if he admires lot of them he follow with some interest) and he continue his road alone.
He works endless, in any hour of day or night, he pass his life among studio and house, the latter becoming often studio too because of his incessantly work.
Only late, during his maturity Rumi find itself. And in his Bergamo, which saw him active and industrious he died on august the 17th 1980.
The only RUMI motorcycle web site I could find.
http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/cyberbike/rumi.htm
***The text below was translated from the web site above with the "bable fish" translation engine from Alta vista. It does a LITERAL translation so you may have to re-read some sentences to understand the intended meaning. The good thing, is that it seems that alot of the text and photos have been taken from the book. "RUMI: The Motion of the Artist" Which, is printed entirely in Italian. So here, maybe for the first time you can read the web site in english.
SHORT HISTORY OF a MYTH In the first post-war period, just in 1950, from the Workshops Rumi Foundries of Bergamo, is born one absolutely motion original, equipped of only technical and aesthetic solutions. In a productive panorama dominated from vertical single cylinder machines to four times, the Rumi, counter-current sin from the first " Tourism ", creates one bicylindrical horizontal two times. The miagolio unmistakable of this motor, destined (with opportune modifications) to equip nearly the totality of successive the Rumi production, planned from the technician Peter Vassena, it made to exclaim to people, " listens! Rumi passes one ".... But if the Rumi were incantatrici to listens, it they were still more alla.vista, designed personally from Donnino Rumi, adopted chromatic solutions and a design without previous, a lot that still today the plans appear pervasi from the genius of its constructor, motorcycles without time, sculptures to two wheels.
DONNINO RUMI It is born to Bergamo in 1906, 1918, to the single ones twelve years, works like garzone in the factory of the Achille father, owner of one foundry specialized in the working of the bronze. It attends the Carrara Academy of Bergamo, after years of gavetta, thanks to its enthusiasm and to its innata energy it contributes to develop the paternal company until farne, to the doors of according to world-wide conflict, an asserted factory. In the course of the conflict the German forces ne control the production and the refusal of Donnino Rumi to ago reconvert the own industry for war scopes ne a partisan fugitive, than captured in 1943, after two years of imprisonment in the S.Agata jail of Bergamo comes finally freed and can porsi to the guide of the azienza, with loads with general manager. In the scene of the reconstruction, Italy needs of means of locomozione from the low set-up cost and from the contained consumptions, the choice business falls on the fabrication of lightweights motorcycle, also at the same time producing to textile machines and procedures for macaroni factories. In planning the motor, entrusts to a friend and customer, Peter Vassena, motonautico technician. From the encounter of these minds originals the first Rumi is born. Introduced in the December of 1949 to the Hall of the cycle and the motorcycle of Milan, the new lightweight motorcycle equipped from a mounted motor of cc on one chassis in opened 125 cradle tubes, sure unnoticed. The definitive version dated March 1950 exposed to the extension of the cycle and motorcycle of Bergamo and to that one of Milan the following month gives the way to the deliveries, therefore numerous that in autumn places side by side to the model " Tourism " the type " Sport ", equipped of more shining characteristics. It begins therefore the adventure of the RUMI and the myth of its constructor.
Hat, cloak and long white-bearded in between. It was simple to recognize Donnino Rumi among the crowd (even if none could say he ever have seen him mingle with crowd). And it was simple recognize one of his paintings among thousand (even if none could ever seen one in any collective art exhibitions that Bergamo, so rich of artists, loves to offer us).
Perhaps for the first time is possible to review by his works the whole history of Donnino Rumi as painter in this book dedicated to him three years after his death.
For lot of people which remember his name just for his being joined with a lot of sport or industry events, it could be a surprise.
Industry saw Donnino Rumi as leading character in father's farm since his youth, when the calling of art arise strongly too.
Immediatly after the Second World War other adventures bring the name "Rumi" around the world with the motorbike that was idol of many sportsmen because of its many records done.
Just remind one for all. It was 1954 (when "made in Italy" still was trudging among the misfortunes of the war devastations) : four <
From there, Donnino Rumi was only a painter. And explose his almost obsessing looking for color, as the images available in this collection can document. And still don't forget the valueble results of his sculptoring and drawing.
An artistic biography of Rumi (a different perspective):
Donnino Rumi born in Bergamo in the 1906 and in this town take place all his history of man and artist.
It is necessary to go back to the foundry possesed by his father to find Donnino Rumi, just twelve, apprentice, tireless worker, full of curiosity and yet deeply attracted by any form of artistic expression.
He frequent the carver workshop of a family friend called Ghislandi, who will the first in notice the boy's attitudes and who will spur, some time later, him to studies at the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo.
But Rumi has a particular nature; he is shy and restless, often intolerant, he has much talent but he doesn't love school discipline: so he will not finish his studies, preferring to start lonely his road to the art.
His former works, and yet noteworthy, are of the 20's. Not twenteen yet, he found himself in the constriction of manage in first place the foundry; to paint or sculping (he is sculptor too) only free-time remain, and this is always decreasing because of the stressing industrial activity.
Around the 40's, infact, dependent workmen of father's foundry increase from the original ten to almost a thousand. If you add the marriage appened in '32 and the born of three children you can have the whole painting of his life at that time.
During the World War german armies install within the industry a commissioner. Rumi abscond, fight as partisan and he is closed in S. Agata Prison in Bergamo. He's never refused his art, anyway, and he produce,when and how he can, some works in those dramatic moments too.
After the war he has to roll up his sleeves, 'cause the within the industry, quite all destroyed, he has to interely restructure the production. From propeller and periscopes producted before the war he pass to dough and sweets machines, cameras but above all motorbikes and knitting machines. For fifteen years industry absorbs completly Rumi, letting him rarely dedicate himself to his Art , his true interest.
They are years in which he was often struggled by crisis and doubs, but the industrial Rumi seemed have taken precedence over Rumi the artist. Only in '62 comes the winding-up of the foundry. From that point on he can completely immerse himself in the artistical activity.
Because of his coy nature, of his extreme sincerity in reactions and in comments, he's often misunderstanded in his real essence, and a certain form of reserve is confused with haughtiness.
As a matter of fact Rumi is critical towards himself in an unbelieveble way, he create and destroy his works which never satisfy him, refusing collections and contact with the critics, refusing dialog with other artists too (even if he admires lot of them he follow with some interest) and he continue his road alone.
He works endless, in any hour of day or night, he pass his life among studio and house, the latter becoming often studio too because of his incessantly work.
Only late, during his maturity Rumi find itself. And in his Bergamo, which saw him active and industrious he died on august the 17th 1980.
The only RUMI motorcycle web site I could find.
http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/cyberbike/rumi.htm
***The text below was translated from the web site above with the "bable fish" translation engine from Alta vista. It does a LITERAL translation so you may have to re-read some sentences to understand the intended meaning. The good thing, is that it seems that alot of the text and photos have been taken from the book. "RUMI: The Motion of the Artist" Which, is printed entirely in Italian. So here, maybe for the first time you can read the web site in english.
SHORT HISTORY OF a MYTH In the first post-war period, just in 1950, from the Workshops Rumi Foundries of Bergamo, is born one absolutely motion original, equipped of only technical and aesthetic solutions. In a productive panorama dominated from vertical single cylinder machines to four times, the Rumi, counter-current sin from the first " Tourism ", creates one bicylindrical horizontal two times. The miagolio unmistakable of this motor, destined (with opportune modifications) to equip nearly the totality of successive the Rumi production, planned from the technician Peter Vassena, it made to exclaim to people, " listens! Rumi passes one ".... But if the Rumi were incantatrici to listens, it they were still more alla.vista, designed personally from Donnino Rumi, adopted chromatic solutions and a design without previous, a lot that still today the plans appear pervasi from the genius of its constructor, motorcycles without time, sculptures to two wheels.
DONNINO RUMI It is born to Bergamo in 1906, 1918, to the single ones twelve years, works like garzone in the factory of the Achille father, owner of one foundry specialized in the working of the bronze. It attends the Carrara Academy of Bergamo, after years of gavetta, thanks to its enthusiasm and to its innata energy it contributes to develop the paternal company until farne, to the doors of according to world-wide conflict, an asserted factory. In the course of the conflict the German forces ne control the production and the refusal of Donnino Rumi to ago reconvert the own industry for war scopes ne a partisan fugitive, than captured in 1943, after two years of imprisonment in the S.Agata jail of Bergamo comes finally freed and can porsi to the guide of the azienza, with loads with general manager. In the scene of the reconstruction, Italy needs of means of locomozione from the low set-up cost and from the contained consumptions, the choice business falls on the fabrication of lightweights motorcycle, also at the same time producing to textile machines and procedures for macaroni factories. In planning the motor, entrusts to a friend and customer, Peter Vassena, motonautico technician. From the encounter of these minds originals the first Rumi is born. Introduced in the December of 1949 to the Hall of the cycle and the motorcycle of Milan, the new lightweight motorcycle equipped from a mounted motor of cc on one chassis in opened 125 cradle tubes, sure unnoticed. The definitive version dated March 1950 exposed to the extension of the cycle and motorcycle of Bergamo and to that one of Milan the following month gives the way to the deliveries, therefore numerous that in autumn places side by side to the model " Tourism " the type " Sport ", equipped of more shining characteristics. It begins therefore the adventure of the RUMI and the myth of its constructor.